Exciting western historical stories,novels, and articles. What woman wouldn't love a Cowboy Kiss?

Monday, September 2, 2013

How 'bout a DOG for the holiday?

Happy Labor Day. With so many gathering to barbeque and enjoy the great
outdoors on this fine Monday, I thought I’d talk about DOGs (and not the kind
you pet or the hotdogs you eat.)

Several years ago, I attended a DOG, a Dutch oven gathering. At the time, I
didn't even know they existed, but since I'm a girl scout from way back when, I
thought it would be a great article for the magazine I edit for so I contacted
the coordinator for the event and my husband and I drove to a small town about
an hour from home. It was a blast.

We enjoyed some incredibly good food, all cooked on Dutch ovens. When we
arrived, several were situated in the park with their set-ups. I thought it interesting
that they stacked the Dutch ovens with coals in between and encircled the tower
with a ring of aluminum to contain the heat.I took my antique oven to share and en route, called my mother-in-law for
more info. Turns out my husband's great grandfather was a chuck wagon cook for
some of the outfits out of Fort Worth. The Dutch oven we have rode on the wagon
train that took him and his family north to Oklahoma in 1905, but with him
being a cook prior to this, we're guessing the oven to be something he used as
early as 1890's.

The second picture shows the number, 12 in. Besides
describing the diameter of the lid, the number also determines the number of
coals used on top and underneath the oven. An outdoor cook knows the number on
the lid indicates the number of coals to use. The cook places the number plus
three coals on top of the lid and the number minus three underneath. This
formula equates to about 350 degrees if you were to bake something in an oven.
I've enjoyed many tasty biscuits done this way. I also love cornbread baked in
a Dutch oven. Afterwards, settlers would scour the insides with dry sand then
oil the insides with mineral oil.

Anyway, I thought I'd share since my heroine, Shauna in Once Jilted
has to cook with one. Please enjoy an excerpt:

He peered at the item that looked suspiciously
like apair
of gray long johns he owned. His brow furrowed. “Whose intimates be you
scrubbing on?”

She rolled
her lips between her teeth and tucked her chin. After a brief pause, her nose
scrunched. “Yours.”

He stared at
the pile of wrung clothes stacked on a mat then shifted his gaze to the few
items remaining in the rinse water. Beside the fire, steam rose from a cooling,
large black cauldron of soapy water. He grimaced at the strong smell of lye.
Her initiative felt like an invasion of privacy, an intimate act shared between
husband and wife. Why he should feel this way, he had no clue. Possibly because
her quest for a husband remained foremost in his mind. The laundress in
Nyesville usually washed his clothes for a small fee. He couldn’t recall
feeling this way with someone else scrubbing his dirties.

“You’re not
upset with me, are you?” She lifted another item from the water and slipped it
between the two rollers. Twisting the crank, she wrung out a shirt and piled it
with the others. “I only meant to repay you for your generosity.”

“Mad?” He
fumbled for a word that would do his emotions justice and failed. He wasn’t
really angry, just... “I don’t know how I feel.”

“You are
upset. I’m sorry. It’s just that I had nothing to occupy my free hours this
morning, and I saw the pile next to my—your bed, and I thought I’d help you by
washing and then...”

He held up a
hand. “You’re rambling. It’s fine. Really. Just noot what I expected.”

She released
a pent up breath and smiled. “I’ll just finish wringing these few. It won’t
take me but a moment to hang them, then I can set out food for the men.”

He considered
offering his assistance, but thought better of it and jammed his hands in his
pockets. The thought of helping her hang his unmentionables alongside his
shirts and pants was just too personal. The moment became awkward as he
searched for something more to say.

“My usual day
to handle this chore is Friday.” She cranked another article through.
“Wednesdays I bake bread.”

His mouth
watered at the mention of fresh baked bread. “Do you think you could bake bread
here?”

Her
gaze shifted to the supply wagon as she rolled the last piece of wet clothing
through the wringer. “I’m not sure. Perhaps I can do it in the Dutch oven.” Her
lips curved into an engaging grin. “Tomorrow, I’ll give it my best try. Lefty’s
been giving me pointers on cooking outside, so I’m sure between the two of us,
we can figure it out.”

He nodded and
turned to leave.

“Kane? I know
you let me sleep in your tent last night, but with all your things still there,
it makes more sense to put me somewhere else.”

Somewhere
else? Did she think to ingratiate herself with another man by sharing his
space? “And where might that be?”

She blinked
and cleared her throat. “I’m not sure. I thought maybe there might be an extra
tent.”

“Well, you thought
wrong.” He knew he was being obstinate. The idea of this cantankerous woman
anywhere but in his own tent where he could keep a closer eye on her left him
cold inside. Perhaps it was the vulnerability she hid so well behind stubborn
pride that made him feel protective. Aye, that had to be it. While he trusted
all of the men under his direction with bridge construction, some of them were
a mite shady when it came to the treatment of women.

G'Day Ciara (Aussie speak)Great article and I loved the excerpt. Will be adding that book to my Kindle.Dutch Ovens make the best damper. We used to use one all the time on camping trips when I was growing up.It sounds like you have such a rich history and something to be very proud of.

DISCLAIMER:

We are a visual group and often use images found on Google or elsewhere. We strive to use attributes but don't always succeed. If you find something of yours on our site that makes you unhappy, please contact me at julie@julielence.com and I'll make sure the artwork is promptly removed. Also appreciate notice about any broken links so I can fix or get rid of them. :)

Blogging Schedule

Life often gets in the way of our best intentions, but here is the schedule we will attempt to follow:Mondays=1st - Kristy McCaffrey2nd - Claire McEwen3rd - Lauri Robinson/Paty Jager (alternating months)4th - Barbara Catlin

Want To Be A Guest

ATTENTION WESTERN ROMANCE AUTHORS: If you know one of the participants and want to be their guest, then email them directly and they can set you up. OR...You can also email me at julie@julielence.com and I can find a slot for you. Please put "Cowboy Kisses Guest Author Request" in the subject line. Thank you!